This 549 Square Foot Apartment Is Home to 51 Cats (And Two People)

Before you begin to clutch your pearls, let me just say that this is an actual, literal cat house. A house full of cats. 51 of them to be precise. With two humans. Architecture firm FANAF was charged with renovating this 549 square foot home to make it a healthier and happier home for the humans and cats alike.

As part of the reality TV show, Change Your Life, the designers lived with the pair and their cats for a full day to get a sense of their lifestyle and needs.

(Image credit: FANAF)

The firm approached renovating the space with three main ideas, "separation, functionality and open/closed environments." Because the initial space was essentially one room and the owners kept the windows closed to keep the cats from escaping, it was a dark and stuffy and the owners couldn't find a place to relax sans cats.

The designers added moveable walls to help create areas where the owners could have space away from the cats. They separated the bedroom from the main area and created a small tea room for hosting guests. New slatted doors were added to the main entrance of the kitchen, designed to keep cats out of the cooking area and to allow more light and air to circulate with a blind-like function.

To add more light to the space, they restored part of the courtyard, adding skylights for more natural light, making the space the main hub for all cat activity. They also added a pebble filled stream to the courtyard, which serves as source of drinking water for the cats, helps keep the tree alive and creates air flow to keep the space feeling fresh.